For the 11th year in a row, Print & Promo Marketing is proud to present its annual “Women in Print and Promo” feature. In honor of Women’s History Month — and every month — we are sharing the transformative paths these women have taken to help drive the industry forward. Find out what motivates them, where they’ve succeeded, and how companies can advance female talent. Stay tuned throughout the month for more profiles, and check out the March issue of Print & Promo Marketing for the full feature.
Lara Fraum, president/CEO of Bethpage, New York-based Midnite Snax, delves into how she balances her career with her life as a parent, the value of resiliency, and more.
It’s 2024. Not much has changed except the frequency of articles that tell us how burnout affects us. Spoiler alert: The answer is typically alarming. From after-school activities, to caregiving, to late nights at the office (or a makeshift home office), who has time to gather around the table and share a meal? Lara Fraum, president and CEO of Midnite Snax, has a few things to say on the matter.
Fraum is the second-generation owner and operator of Midnite Snax, a supplier of snacks, confectionary goods, and packaging solutions. As a child, she had a front-row seat to the promotional products space. She watched the hard work, the infectious energy, and the creativity her parents poured into their business.
“I have been in the promotional products industry for 28 years young,” Fraum jokes.
But not even sweet treats could convince Fraum to stay back after high school graduation. She continued her studies at Baruch College, where she majored in industrial psychology with a minor in photography. With a degree in hand, she joined the marketing development team for a cosmetics company.
“It was always exciting for me to watch a product develop from just an idea to an actual retail product,” she says.
Three years later, Fraum returned to Midnite Snax. She didn’t immediately step into a leadership role, but she thought like a leader. To her, everyone should understand the “why” behind each aspect of a company. She answered phones, entered orders, helped assemble products, and packed boxes. As the company grew, Fraum got more involved in sales and custom quotes. She remembered her passion for product development in the cosmetics industry and tested it out in promo.
She frequented retail stores to see what was new and innovative, and how shoppers reacted. By her own admission, she “tried to copy them” and still uses that concept today.
“People buy what they can understand,” she says. “Even though we eat food every day, it is not always the easiest for people to sell in the promotional industry. Food is an experience. Everyone loves a piece of chocolate or candy.”
Midnite Snax has come a long way from its small mom-and-pop shop offering. When Jack Goldberg, Fraum’s father, retired, he entrusted the future of his company to his daughter and her husband, Craig, Midnite Snax’s COO.
Much like the rest of us, Fraum has no plans to slow down. She remains heavily involved in sales and custom projects, and recently announced that Midnite Snax is now a certified Women’s Business Enterprise.
So, how do we make group dinners part of the regular routine? Maybe we can’t. Life happens. But if Fraum had it her way, we’d grab a snack for the commute to the soccer field or the desk. It might just give us the energy we need to check things off the list — and then we can rest.
Her Proudest Career Achievement
“Becoming a Women-Owned Business. I had help. I could not have gotten this far on my own. My husband, Craig Fraum, has been, and is, a crucial part of Midnite Snax’s growth. We are an amazing team with great balance. We have been working together for 23 years. Today we manufacture chocolate, popcorn, baked goods, drinkware, candles, portable fire pits, boxes and fulfillment, and print all at our facility.”
How Failure Taught Her Resiliency
“I really don’t like the word ‘failure.’ I look at every situation as a learning experience. Sometimes projects have hiccups along the way. That is just the reality of life. It’s how you go about fixing the situation and learning how you can be better next time. If you make the same mistake more than once, it is not a mistake anymore. I really try and teach my sales team to learn and grow from failures or mistakes. We can always do better.”
Her Most Significant Barrier as a Female Leader
“The most significant barrier in my career has been finding a balance between your career and children. I would have to carpool, do homework, just be a mom, and not be able to answer customers’ requests. I would always jump back on the computer at night and burn the midnight oil.”
How She Thinks Companies Can Attract and Retain Female Talent
“I view Midnite Snax as an ecosystem. There is not one department that is more important than the other, and every single employee plays a role in making Midnite Snax successful. Like an ecosystem, we need each other to survive and grow. Treat all your employees equally.”
Her Job Advice to Women
“[The promotional products industry] is creative and fun. It’s so exciting to watch products develop from an idea to an actual promotional product to help brands and companies all over the world that you had a part of its development of promotion.”
Her Upcoming Goals
“As my youngest child is off to college in the fall, I would like my main focus this year to get more involved in Women-Owned business focus groups and trade shows. I want to hear other women’s stories and accomplishments — just keep learning and growing personally and professionally.”
